In the Muppets version, Kermit begins by lamenting his green coloration, expressing that green "blends in with so many ordinary things" and wishing to be some other color. But by the end of the song, Kermit recalls positive associations with the color green, and concludes by accepting and embracing his greenness.

The song's signature line "It's not easy being green" is a phrase that has since appeared in many contexts in pop culture. It is often quoted as an expression of melancholy over one's lot in life. The song is associated with questions of identity and individuality, but also with themes such as self-love and celebration of diversity, especially in terms of race (or "color"), which was at the forefront of social debate within American culture at the time of the song's debut. With the growing usage of green as a reference to environmentalism, the phrase (or its counterstatement) is often used in that context as well. Most recently, the lyric "It's not easy being green" was used as the title for a 2014 episode of the TV series Once Upon a Time.